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Nomi had become so busy lately with her thesis and her research for Rocket, she had completely forgotten about the ad she'd posted in the paper about her brewery.[break][break]
Because of this, when Laurence Anderson showed up at Moonblast one afternoon, ad in-hand and a friendly smile slapped across his face, Nomi merely stared at him, blinking in confusion.[break][break]
Valerian caught on faster than she did. The Sylveon got up from his favorite napping spot by the front window, and padded over to the man. He rubbed his head on his leg and purred approvingly.[break][break]
"Oh, right! I put this place up for sale," Nomi remembered, returning his smile with an apologetic one of her own. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she realized her mistake. "Come in, come in," she waved for him to join her at the bar. She was standing next to the taps, fiddling with one that had become clogged recently.[break][break]
"I'm Naomi Sato, owner of Moonblast Microbrew. Feel free to call me "Nomi", most folks do." She eyed him. "So, are you really interested in taking over this place?" She tried to keep her tone even, without sounding overly-eager. As much as she loved brewing, she was ready to move on from Moonblast: she simply had more pressing priorities these days.[break][break]
Like, well, saving the world from certain doom.

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Nomi beamed at the mention of the Winter's Kiss, last year's signature drink during the winter bar crawl.[break][break]
"Yes! It was seasonal," she confirmed with a swell of pride. "Seasonal specialties are something we're known for here at Moonblast."[break][break]
Nomi often used the fresh lavender that grew outside the brewery in her summer recipes, and there was a rather large pile of it on the bar counter, which she motioned at so her visitor would notice. "I tend to use fresh flowers in summer," she explained. "If you have any recommendations for fun seasonal recipes - or better yet, ideas of your own that you'd like to execute, I'd love to hear them."[break][break]
The young scientist took out a tasting glass and poured a splash of bright yellow beer, the color of sunshine, sliding it over to him without pretense. "For example, this is my most recent iteration of our house beer, Rollout I. It's a session IPA. I was considering taking the base and experimenting with spice - like, red chili pepper or spicy Figy berries." She grinned, expression playful, though her keen eyes watched him curiously. "What do you think of that? Worth trying?"

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"Oh yes," she nodded. "Cherry blossoms are a common ingredient in my spring brews."[break][break]
She watched him swill the beer and giggled, amused by his dedication to a proper tasting. Contrary to popular belief, there were plenty of beers that benefitted from the same sort of treatment one might give a fine wine.[break][break]
He seemed to like it, which relieved Nomi. He had good taste, which was absolutely required for taking over her brewery.[break][break]
"Yes, I often incorporate berries - sour ones are great for experimental fermentation. The beer turns out quite tart." Those were some of her personal favorites. "Don't worry - if brewing isn't your strong suit, I've got folks who can execute on my recipes. You might enjoy learning the craft, though." She eyed him, trying to get a sense of what sort of man he happened to be. "What do you do, anyway? As your main job?"[break][break]
He had to be at least somewhat important, or financially stable, if he was thinking about buying an established business.

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A Head Ranger? Impressive.[break][break]
And useful, she realized.[break][break]
"Oh wow," she commented, smiling brightly. Internally, she felt a small thrill of triumph. If a Head Ranger was going to run her brewery, perhaps she would be able to pick up intel for Rocket from time to time from him. "That's an important position. You must be quite busy these days, given the instability of the region."[break][break]
Nomi refilled his glass, a radiant innocence to her demeanor. It seemed they were closing in on a deal, so she might as well top him off.[break][break]
"If you give me a moment, I can collect the preliminary paperwork for sale. We can get the process started, though I'll need to run everything by my accountant and my lawyer before anything's official." She paused. "May I go ahead and assume you are, indeed, ready to move forward? Afterward, I'll give you a full tour of the grounds."[break][break]

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